Ever since Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns, rumors have circulated that Kyrie Irving could reunite with him there.
The Suns were one of the teams interested in Kyrie prior to his trade to the Dallas Mavericks, but NBA insider Marc Stein says there are doubts about whether the two want to reunite.
“The Suns, meanwhile, have had Durant in the lineup for all of three games since No. 35’s arrival,” Stein wrote on his Substack. “Phoenix is thus still assessing exactly what it is capable of as currently constructed, while there are also fresh questions about the eagerness of Durant and Irving to reunite in the desert given the great lengths they appeared to go to in avoiding each other when the Suns visited the Mavericks on March 5 for a nationally televised showdown at the American Airlines Center.”
They did completely avoid each other during the game and after it as well. Brian Windhorst said they didn’t even look at each other at any point and postgame, Durant hugged his former teammate Markieff Morris, but not Irving. Windhorst feels they have no relationship at this point.
Durant had said before the game that the two hadn’t spoken since leaving the Brooklyn Nets and it is doubtful they would have interacted after it. There clearly is a divide between them at this point and they definitely don’t seem like two individuals who want to reunite.
The Mavericks Would Be Delighted With This News
For the Mavericks, there were a lot of risks involved in trading for Kyrie. He caused a lot of distractions for the Nets and there were doubts about whether he’d want to stay with the Mavs long-term. With the Suns now seemingly out of the picture and the Lakers also reportedly not pursuing him in the summer, Irving may have no choice but to stick around.
They haven’t won too many games since Kyrie arrived, but the star guard is averaging 28.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.1 APG, and 1.1 SPG, which are some impressive numbers. Even if this season ends in disappointment for the team, they’d be hoping that with time, Kyrie and Luka Doncic can take them to the top.
Source: fadeawayworld.net
